This sermon was preached to Hope Chapel Haslemere on 21 August 2022. The full video recording of the service can be found below along with the transcript.
‘All religions are one. O, they may look like different paths, but they all go the same destination. They are simply different ways to travel up the same mountain. In the end, it doesn’t really matter which path you take. For every road eventually leads to the top.’
I’m sure you’ve all heard someone say that before. Perhaps a colleague or friend told you this was their philosophy when you tried to share your Christian faith with them. Or perhaps you are here this evening, and this is what you think. For you, Christianity is but one flavour of ice cream. That is, it is one possible philosophy among many. It is one way to God, but not the only way. For you, being Christian is just one way to be spiritual, but there are other paths that lead to the same truth. Indeed, to say that we believe anything else would be too exclusive and narrow. Not the kind of inclusive and broadminded attitude fit for the 21st century. Well, if that is what you think, or if you just have questions about how other religions relate to what Christians believe, our passage this evening is a great place to study. For if Christianity really is just one path among many, we see here that nobody ever told Christ about this.
Our passage this evening is found at the very end of Jesus’ longest and most famous speech, often called the Sermon on the Mount. And in it, Jesus paints a very different picture to that of the ‘all religions are one’ philosophy so common today. For in 7:13-14, Jesus says there are two gates that lead into two paths. And that far from them both heading in the same direction, meeting at the top of some mystical mountain, he says that they take travellers to two very different destinations: one road runs to life and the other to destruction. And so do you see here that rather than telling us we are all standing at the foot of a mountain, from which every path ascends to the top. Jesus actually tells us we are all standing at a fork in the road, that we have to decide between two very different paths and destinations. If you take the right path, you will go to the right destination. If you take the wrong path, you will go to the wrong destination.
Before we even get into the main part of our sermon this evening, see that Jesus’ overarching point is very plain: pick the proper path, take the right road. Each one of us is standing at a fork in the road, we have to choose between two paths. And so, Jesus calls to us in 7:13 to, ‘Enter through the narrow gate.’ That is, take the road that leads to life, not destruction. As we shall see, that means to follow Jesus, to take him as your Lord and Saviour, to repent of your sin and trust in him, that what it means to become a Christian. And the Bible makes clear that all other religions, all other teachings, all other forms of spirituality outside of Christianity, only lead to destruction. There is only one path that leads to life, and that is believing in Jesus Christ. For he explained in John 14:6, ‘No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Friend, are you following Jesus to life this evening? Or are you on another path? For whatever that path is, it only goes to destruction.
If you believe yourself to be a Christian this evening, this will probably all feel very familiar. You understand yourself to have taken that narrow path, to be following Jesus, heading to eternal life. Well, if that is you this evening, before pressing further down that path, can I urge you to stop and notice one final detail in 7:13-14. For here Jesus not only tells us about two gates, two paths and two destinations. He also tells us about two crowds. In 7:13, he says there are ‘many’ entering through the wide gate, that is there are many heading down that wide way to destruction. In contrast in 7:14, he says there are only ‘few’ who find the small gate and narrow way, only a few that follow that road to life. Many and few. One crowd crammed onto the wide road to destruction, perhaps like the A3 at rush hour, the other a trickle of travellers taking the narrow path to life, like some country backroad that few people go down.
Further, as we go through our passage, we see that one of most the tragic things about these two crowds is that many misunderstand what road they are on. We see that in 7:22, where Jesus tells us that ‘many’ will say to him on that last day ‘Lord, Lord’. That is, many will journey through life, believing they are on the narrow way, heading towards eternal life, but find out at the end of their journey that they were mistaken all along. That the road they took was actually the wrong one, and that it is too late to turn back.
Friend, how sure tonight are you that you are on the right road? That you are travelling to eternal life? Could you be wrong? Could you have taken the wrong turn? Could you be among the many in 7:22 who are mistaken on that last day? Well, in the rest of our passage Jesus gives us three pictures to help us perceive whether that is the case for us personally. Having first told us in 7:13-14 to get on the right path, in the rest of the passage he wants us to check we are on the right path. And so, whether you have considered yourself a Christian for decades, or just a few months, can I ask you tonight to stop and check your compass. Consider whether you are plodding along the right path. Or whether you may be mistaken. As we go through the rest of our passage, you will see you can all do this by asking three questions: (1) Who are you following? (7:15-20); (2) What are you trusting? (7:21-23); (3) How are you responding? (7:24-27).
1. WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING? (7:15-20)
Grandma, what big eyes you have! All the better to see you with my dear. Grandma what furry ears you have! All the better to hear you with my dear. Grandma, what large teeth you have. All the better to...well we all know what happens next, don’t we? In the famous children’s tale, little Red Riding Hood, she learns too late that dangerous wolves can be found in unexpected places. The story has been around for centuries, but the idea of a hidden wolf is even older, with the famous Greek storyteller Aesop first popularising a fable about a wolf in sheep’s clothing over 2500 years ago. Perhaps the way Jesus uses that analogy in 7:15 would have been familiar to those who had heard Aesop’s story. However, regardless of whether he echoes Aesop or not, Jesus is certainly echoing countless warnings within the Old Testament of false leaders who prey on God’s people. And these warnings continue throughout the rest of the New Testament, as churches are repeatedly warned about false leaders, wolves sneaking in and causing carnage among the sheep. Perhaps some of you have seen a chicken run after a fox breaks into it, well can you imagine what a sheep pen would look like after a wolf is let into it.
Well, here Jesus is trying to protect his people, his flocks of sheep, his churches, from experience such carnage and destruction. And so, Jesus warns us to carefully consider who follow, who we listen to. In 7:15 he warns, ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.’ Here we see not all supposed leaders or preachers are to be trusted, for some ‘prophets’ are really predators. They may look like sheep on the outside, but inside are ‘ferocious wolves.’ They may tell you they are leading you on the narrow path to life, but it is really the broad road to destruction they are travelling down. And like Little Red Riding Hood, it can be fatal if you find this out too late.
In order to help his people avoid LRRH’s fate, Jesus provides a principle in 7:16-20 that can help us detect wolfish deception. Did you notice that little section begins and ends with the same phrase in both 7:16, 20: ‘by their fruit you will recognise them.’ Here Jesus changes the picture from a wolf in sheep’s clothing to fruit on a tree. As he says in 7:18, ‘A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.’ Jesus explains that we identify imposters by inspecting them. That if you want to work out whether a tree is bad, that is whether a leader is false, you must examine their fruit, what they are producing, that is: (1) the doctrine they teach and (2) the deeds they do.
Now by wearing sheep’s clothing, they may at first appear to be genuine. And yet, Jesus teaches their true colours eventually come through. Give them a few harvests, and you will see what they really produce. Jesus teaches that we can determine who they really are by looking past what they wear, and focusing on what they bear. It is not how someone first appears, but what they ultimately produce, that is evidence of their eligibility for leadership among God’s people. In the end, if they are a bad tree, they will betray this by bearing bad fruit. Their wolfish characteristics will eventually come through, show us who they really are, warn us to stay away from them. And so, in all of this, Jesus is urging us not to be LRRH’s. Initially fooled by grandma’s clothes, she really should have known something wasn’t right when she started to notice the large eyes, furry ears, and huge teeth! For if they look like a wolf, sound like a wolf, and act like wolf, that is then almost certainly what they are!
Brothers and sisters here at Hope Chapel, as you go forward in this wonderful work together as a church. See here what you should be looking for in your leaders, whether it is those you ask to teach you or your children, the elders you seek to appoint permanently, or the pastor you hope to call in the near future. See here that it is not just gifting, but even more importantly, it is godliness that you should look for. Yes, consider what they teach, but also look at how they live: how they speak, what they do, how they respond to challenges, what their home life looks like. Look at the fruit of their lives and ask yourself whether it is good fruit, whether it is the kind of fruit that you would like growing in your life, and in the lives of your fellow church members here. For if it is not, if it is bad fruit, then stay clear of that tree. Just as you wouldn’t pick a tree for your garden with fruit you don’t like, don’t pick and plant a tree in the church which is bearing bad fruit, for you will only end up having to eat that bad fruit for years to come.
On the other hand, if, after considering their way of life, you find there to be good fruit, see them as godly and Christ-like, then you know that they are a good tree. For in 7:18, we not only read that negatively a good tree cannot produce bad fruit, we also read that positively a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. That those who have the fruits of the Holy Spirit filling their lives, inevitably have the Holy Spirit working in and through their lives. And that is the exact kind of tree you want to plant among you all, a tree that is bearing good fruit that you, and those who may gather with you in the future, may benefit from for years to come.
At Grace Church, it is our hope and prayer that this wonderful gospel witness in Haslemere remains a signpost pointing people to the way of life for years and decades to come. That the good news of what Jesus has done will be preached from this pulpit and shared by the members in those pews all around this area. However, see here, that to ensure this gospel signpost that is about to be erected doesn’t end up pointing down the wrong path, directing people to the broad way to destruction, we need to ask ourselves carefully who we will follow. For it is only those who are themselves faithfully walking in the way of Jesus, bearing good spiritual fruit, living lives of Christlikeness, that can lead you in that proper path. To help us check we are going the right way, Jesus tells us to consider ‘Who are you following?’
2. WHAT ARE YOU TRUSTING? (7:21-23)
Here, in 7:21-23, Jesus’s challenging conclusion begins to get a lot more personal. For having told us to examine others, those we are following, he now tells us to examine ourselves. Warns us that there is not only a danger of being deceived by others, but also a danger of deceiving ourselves. In some of the most challenging verses in the Bible, Jesus calls us to consider that last day, when, at the end of our travels, we will all be judged. And on that day, he explains that there will not only be false prophets, but there will also be false professors. That is, those who profess, claim to be Christians, think they are following Jesus, but turn out to be mistaken. They thought they were walking the narrow path to life, but when they get to the end they discover their destination was actually destruction. This sobering truth should make all of us who call ourselves Christians, stop and do what Paul exhorts us to do in 2 Corinthians 13:5, ‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.’ For as Jesus explains in 7:21, ‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven...’.
How do we conduct this self-examination? Well, we see here that we do it in the same way that we examine our leaders. For just as we can recognise them by their fruit, we see here that Jesus will recognise us by our fruit on last day. And yet, it may not be the fruit that we first expect. For perhaps what is most remarkable about this mistaken crowd is that at first, there appears to much to commend them, suggest that they are following Jesus just like they say. First, you have their profession itself, this two-fold title they use, ‘Lord, Lord’. They clearly know who Jesus really is, ascribing to him all authority and power, repeating it twice to emphasise their loyalty to this Lord. They know who Jesus is, they could tell you all about him, and yet it seems he doesn’t know them. It is a helpful reminder that while theological accuracy, knowledge about God, is a wonderful thing, it is not a saving thing. No matter how accurate our knowledge of the Bible or Christianity is, we cannot trust in it on that last day. Entrance into Christ’s kingdom does not depend on what we know. It’s not like going to university, where you just have to pass a few exams to get in.
However, it’s not just what they know, for in 7:22 we see that it is also what they have done. [READ] They not only know Christ’s name, but they have also done much in his name. Those 3 activities they mention are exactly those that Jesus and his disciples will go on to accomplish in the next few chapters. And yet, these amazing acts of power in Christ’s name do not guarantee them entrance into Christ’s kingdom. In the end, all their supposed service is said to be sin, for in the last word of his verdict, Jesus calls them ‘evildoers’. Workers not of good but of evil. They seem to say the right things and do the right things, but in the end discover they were on the wrong path all along.
O brothers and sisters, do you see here how closely someone can resemble a Christian and yet still not enter Christ’s kingdom? We have thought about how careful we need to be to detect a wolf in sheep’s clothing. To look out for false leaders. And yet see here that we need to be equally as careful to distinguish between a sheep and a goat. Between someone who is a Christian and someone who just looks like a Christian. Between a Peter and a Judas. Both got the same teaching, both performed the same miracles, and yet one would still betray his so-called Lord with a kiss.
How then can we know? If neither profession nor service is sufficient to be able to assess whether someone is truly a Christian, what kind of fruit should we look for? Well, Jesus tells us exactly what he will look for on that last day in 7:21. [READ] How can we know whether we are walking the narrow way? Here Jesus tells us that it is neither true theology nor spectacular service that always marks true disciples: it is ordinary obedience. The fruit Jesus looks for is simple rather than sensational. Faithful rather than dramatic. It is the kind of quiet godliness, secret holiness, consistent obedience, that is so often overlooked. As we have been thinking together recently in the mornings at Grace Church in Ephesians 5, as strange as it may seem, the sign of a Spirit filled life is not casting out daemons and performing many miracles, but rather it is thanksgiving, gentleness, faithfulness, both correcting and submitting to each other. That is, doing the simple things God has told us to do. As the disciple John puts it in 1 John 2:3: ‘by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.’ We do not become Christians through obedience, but rather through faith and repentance, and yet all who become Christians go on to obey. If we love him, we will keep his commandments. There will be fruit, there may not be the sophisticated fruit of theological brilliance, nor the spectacular fruit of impressive service, but there will always be the simple fruit of an obedient life.
If you have travelled abroad over the last few years, I’m sure you have gone through the hassle of sorting out all the COVID tests and passes. As you approached the border police perhaps you had your file of documents ready, just waiting to pull out the relevant vaccine passport or test result should they decided to stop and challenge you.
Brother and sister, what are you trusting in tonight? If the Lord stopped you on your way into his kingdom, what would you try to pull out as evidence of your eligibility? What might you point to prove that you were a true follower? Lord, Lord, I went out to plant Hope Chapel in your name? Lord, Lord, I served as a deacon for many years? Lord, Lord, I preached or taught the Bible to others? O, we must take great care that our acts of service do not become central to our claims to be a Christian. That they remain expressions of our obedience, rather than becoming crutches for our assurance. Humble evidence of the work of God in our life, not impressive ways to earn his favour. To help us check we are plodding down the right path, Jesus asks ‘What are you trusting in?’
And we can ask the same question of others around us as well. Again, brothers and sister here at Hope Chapel, in the coming weeks as you gather to listen to each other’s testimonies and confessions of faith, as you seek to consider membership applications and have conversations about whether people have come to faith, see here what you should be looking for. Of course, accurate theology is wonderful, you want to make sure that you all believe the truth about God, salvation and the church. Similarly, I’m sure you will be encouraged to hear about the different gifts God have given brothers and sisters to serve his people, excited about the ways that they can be used in ministry here. However, remember that it is neither the sophisticated fruit of theological brilliance, nor the spectacular fruit of impressive service that you are primarily looking for, but it is the simple fruit of an obedient life. You are looking not just for whether there is evidence that they know about Jesus, but also that there is evidence that Jesus knows them. How can we tell? Well, as Jesus said in John 10:27, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’ Brothers and sisters, what Haslemere needs is not a church full of theology PhDs, nor a church full of spectacular preachers and impressive evangelists. What Haslemere needs is a church full of people who are following Jesus, a church full of those who are trusting in him for their salvation and obeying him in whatever way they can out of love for the Lord that has done so much for them.
3. HOW ARE YOU RESPONDING? (7:24-27)
Finally, then, we come to the end of our passage, where there is this famous picture Christ paints of two builders: a wise man who builds his house on the rock and a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. It is rightly well known, and often told separate from the section in which it is set. However, do you see how closely it is connected with all Christ has been saying so far. All three pictures have some kind of deception involved: the wolf in sheep’s clothing has to be uncovered, the false professor is in the end discovered, and here the difference between the two houses lies under the surface, in its foundations, only being revealed when a storm sweeps one away. Friends, we cannot simply assume at a glance that we are on the proper path, for each of these three pictures show us that looks can be deceiving.
Further, do you see that each picture is picking up an aspect of the previous one and focusing in on it. Like a microscope with three lenses, at first we see the cell on the surface, but then *click* and we zoom in a little further, and then *click* we zoom in again. In that first story of false prophets, we see that it is by examining someone’s fruit that we can uncover the genuineness of their faith. Then *click* in the second story we are told what exactly that fruit is, see that this fruit is neither accurate theology or impressive service, but it is the ordinary obedience of the Christian life. And now *click* we zoom in again and see this obedience is not just obeying the will of the Father (how Jesus put it in 7:21), but is obeying the words of his Son. Did you notice that last development? [READ 21,24,26] How do we know this will of the Father in heaven (7:21)? Well, it is through the words of the Son on earth (7:24)?
We have already seen how central Christ is in these pictures, for in 7:21-23 he tells us he will be the one determining our ultimate destination, the one to whom we must plead, the one who will judge us on that last day: ‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,...’. However, here in 7:24-27 we see that Jesus is not just the judge who hands down the sentence, but he is also the criteria upon which that sentence is decided. Christ sees himself and his teaching as the great litmus test, the difference between heaven and hell, between the path of life and destruction.
Perhaps you can understand now why the crowds in 7:28-29 were so amazed and astonished at what Jesus said that day. He was not teaching them like other teachers of the law. Teaching them in the way that I am teaching you this evening. No, Jesus told the audience that he personally was the determining factor for where their eternal destination would be. Here we see that where we spend eternity is based upon how we respond to Jesus.
How are you responding? Here we see that there are two ways we can respond to Jesus. We can either accept what he says and stake our lives on it. Or we can go and stake our lives on something else. We can respond to Jesus by following him, building a house on the rock of who he is, on what he has done, on what he has said, or we can respond to Jesus by saying ‘no thank you’, and build our house on something else. Which is it for you this evening?
We all have to build our life on something. We will all place our hopes and dreams, put our joys and trust in something. Friend, you’ll end up building your house somewhere. Where are you going to choose?
If you are not a Christian, not yet turned from sin and trusted in Jesus, responded by building you life on him, do you see here that the Bible teaches no matter what else you might try to build your life on, it will end up simply being shifting sand. That outside of Jesus there is no safety in the coming storm. See here that even if you build a palace, the storm of God’s judgement will sweep it all away if it is not built on Jesus. Even if you construct a castle in this life, achieve all you could ever hope and dream, in the end if it is not built on Jesus, your castle may as well be made of sand, for when that tide comes in, and its sandy foundation is discovered, it will all fall ‘with a great crash’.
And yet, see too that the opposite is also true. If you do decide to follow Jesus, if you put your trust in him, you will find him to be a foundation that will see you through not only all the storms of this life, but also the eternal tide of God’s judgement to come. O yes, there is a way to destruction, as we have seen this evening. But see also, that there is a way to life. There is a road not just to Hell, but in Jesus there is also a road to Heaven. For Jesus is one who came to tell us, in John 14:6, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’
He is the one who not only came to teach us about that way, but to make that way possible through his own death and resurrection. He came to make a way for us to go to God. By dying in the place of his people, bearing God’s judgment for their sin, and rising again from the grave, Jesus opened up a path of peace and life, a road to having a relationship with God again. Jesus came and laid down his life, so that he might be the rock upon which each of us can build our lives. Will you respond to him in faith? Will you take him as the one on whom you will build your life? If you do, you can be sure that no storm in either time or eternity will be able to sweep you away. That you will be safe if you build your life on Jesus.
ALEXANDER ARRELL